Budapest, Jun. 2, (dpa/GNA) - Just hours after being sworn in, Slovenia’s new left-liberal government dismissed a number of controversial high-ranking civil servants from the previous administration.
During its first meeting late Wednesday, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Golob dismissed federal police chief Anton Olaj. The former chief of the criminal police, Bostjan Lindav, will assume the role.
Under the previous government of right-wing nationalist Janez Jansa, which was voted out of office in April, police repeatedly broke up peaceful anti-government protests, with some participants and activists facing huge fines.
The head of the government press office, Jansa-loyalist Uros Urbanija, will be replaced by Dragan Barbutovksi, who had hitherto led the British Council office in Slovenia.
Under Urbanija the press office had essentially become a propaganda machine for Jansa. It had also tried to undermine the independence of the public news agency STA.
Just before the first Cabinet meeting, the Slovenian parliament confirmed Golob’s government with 53 votes in favour and 28 against. The government is a coalition of Golob’s left-liberal Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda), the Social Democrats, and the leftists.
Golob was elected as prime minister by the parliament on May 25.
Tanja Fajon was announced as the new foreign minister. She is also the leader of the Social Democrats and was a member of the European Parliament from 2009 until last month when she was nominated for the Cabinet.
GNA